England coach Gareth Southgate has slammed the media and pundits for the treatment of Harry Maguire. The English defender has been a scapegoat for England's and Manchester United's poor performances in the past 12 months.

According to the reports from Fabrizio Romano, Southgate said, “There has been the ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time — it’s a joke. I’ve never known a player treated the way he is by our own pundits. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen”

Maguire's place in the England side has come under intense scrutiny due to his status at Manchester United. The English defender is no longer playing first-team football regularly. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag puts Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof ahead of him in the pecking order.

There were reports of West Ham United agreeing a fee with the Red Devils to sign the former United captain. However, the move collapsed as Maguire refused to agree personal terms. Instead, the England defender wanted his current club to pay out the remainder of his contract. He currently has two years left on his deal.

Maguire has been made a huge scapegoat not just by the fans but also by the pundits. After Martinez got injured against Arsenal, Maguire was set to come on. When his squad number was announced as a substitute coming on, he was ironically cheered by the Arsenal supporters. The English defender was booed heavily during Manchester United's pre-season tour in July. If he continues to be benched by ten Hag, we don't see him featuring regularly for England either.